Picking Up the Pieces
by TCAnimorph
Summary: Reborn fic, title pending. A mute boy is killed protecting his only friends, conjoined twins and a girl with a missing leg, and they end up leaving without him. But they don't really leave without him... Rated T for safety and possible future content.
1. Shattered

Now, with srgeman's approval, comes the first Reborn fic by me! And with references to random stuff, too. Enjoy, and please review. It starts off a little slow, but I hope it isn't too bad.

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Entering Cherrygrove City, you'd see a bright, homely city. This is true for most of the city, except one building. The East Johto Center for Disabled Children is where families all over East Johto come to drop off their broken children so they never have to deal with them again. Everything from conjoined twins to brain-dead kids can be found in the sterile white halls.

And then there was me. You'd never know I was defective until you talked to me and realized I only responded with gestures, writing, and drawings. Meet me, Kenny Mason, the resident mute. I was lucky enough to see my mom every day, because she happened to work there. I had two friends there. Okay, I really had three, but Lucas and Carter Tennyson couldn't really be called separate people. The red-haired twins were attached at the shoulder and each was missing an arm, but they acted as one person instead of two. And then there was Milly. Milly Ryder was a black-haired girl who hadn't been born disabled like most of us, but had lost her parents and her leg in a terrorist attack.

On a day that seemed normal to start with, Milly, the twins, and I were discussing what Pokémon we would be if we were Pokémon.

"Hmm. Kenny, do you think the twins would either be a Doduo, or a Plusle and Minun?" she asked, turning to face me. I answered in the only way I could, with a grin and an energetic nod. The twins shrugged.

"I'd rather be a Doduo," they said at the exact same time. Like I said, one person.

"Milly, I think you're a Ninjask since you're so ninja," Carter said, speaking independently of his twin for once. I shook my head, grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil, and quickly sketched the outline of a Lucario. I held it up to receive grins from Milly and both twins.

"Yeah, that's better," Lucas said. "Milly would be a Lucario for sure." There was a noise signaling a visitor was entering, and we all turned to look. It was a tall man that none of us recognized, so we turned back to continue talking. Just as Milly opened her mouth to speak, a gunshot rang out and a little blind girl collapsed with a cry, blood starting to flow from a hole in her chest. That certainly got everybody's attention.

"You disabled kids never had a chance at life, so I'll end your suffering now," he said, raising his gun and firing three more times. Three other kids fell dying. He looked around for his next target, and he stopped with his gaze on the twins. Everybody was frozen in fear, not wanting to be shot, as he walked over as calmly as if he were going to get a snack. The man roughly grabbed them by the point where they were connected, and Carter started to cry, his twin following a second later. Holding the boys against the wall, he lowered his gun and whipped out a knife, starting to cut at their joined shoulder. I couldn't stand the cruelty anymore, and stood up. I tackled the man's side, and he dropped Lucas and Carter. They collapsed in a pitiful heap.

"Stay out of this!" the man yelled as he whipped the gun back out. There was a bang, and pain tore through my chest. A second, more distant bang sounded, the pain increased, and I was on the floor. Milly jumped up, swung her crutches, and the man was downed in seconds. Then Milly was next to me, shaking me, but I couldn't hear her. I was trying to block out the pain, and only one sentence got through to me in the pain.

"Oh my God, HE KILLED KENNY!" Then the pain faded, as well as everything else.

…

"YOU ARE DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, YOU ARE DEAD, DEAD, DEAD…" The song that I had heard once before started to play.

"The heck?" I thought, then paused. I had heard it as if it was sound.

"That's a personal joke," a voice said. A pink, floating cat materialized in front of me.

"Wha… What happened? Why can I talk? Are you Mew? Where am I?" I said.

"Well, you died. Since this is your spirit, you're not mute. And yeah, I'm Mew." The cat, who had been speaking, paused. "It's an awful shame. Your friends will be heartbroken. Especially Milly, she'll be hit the hardest by your death. You know, this can be changed. I can send you back."

"Really? I don't want Milly and the twins to be all alone, and I really don't want to be dead," I said, shock alone keeping me from panicking.

"Yeah. There's a catch though. You can't be a human again. You'll be reborn as a Pokémon. I'm only offering this because if I don't, there won't be anyone to help Milly, Lucas, and Carter. And because I need to make it up to you for playing the 'You Are Dead' song," Mew said, looking thoughtful. I growled.

"You're treating this like it's no big deal! It's not like I got a game over in a video game. It's not like I caught a cold. I'm DEAD! Stop talking to me like you're offering me a choice of a slice of cake!" I yelled. Mew looked hurt.

"Ah, I'm sorry. It's hard to relate when you're God," she said. "Are you taking it or not?" I gave an exasperated sigh and nodded.

"Can I at least be a Psychic Pokémon?" I asked. Mew shrugged.

"Alright then." And with that, Mew, the void, and my illusion of a body vanished.

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This is fun to write ^^ Anyways, Kenny is cool. And he'll be a really tiny Pokémon. Heheh…


	2. Awakening

Yay, chapter 2! Kenny is a Pokémon now, and like he asked, he's a psychic type…

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As everything in Mew's death void disappeared, feeling returned to my body, but it was a different body. I was enclosed in a small space, and I was surrounded by some sort of liquid. I didn't move for a minute, trying to figure out what was going on.

Oh wait. Psycho, Mew, Pokémon. Right. I squirmed, and the tightness of the small space I was in started to get to me. I really hated small spaces. My squirming grew more frantic, and finally I was able to punch a hole in my prison and wriggle all the way out. I sat there blinking in the light, shivering and wet, while my vision slowly adjusted to the light. I was surrounded by enormous trees, nothing familiar anywhere in my sight. My body was tiny and green, with little red clawed feet and puny wings. And I was completely alone.

"Hello?" I whispered. It was hard to speak, and the language was different, but I wasn't mute like I had been as a human. I got to my feet, shook myself off, and tried again. "Hello… is anybody there?" I blinked. There was no answer. I took a step forward and tripped, my round body rolling for a few feet before I could get up again. Just great… I was a Natu, the tiniest psychic OR flying Pokémon in existence, I was a newborn alone in a forest, and I was clumsy enough to trip over my own feet. I tried hopping instead of stepping, and I was able to move without tripping again. I hopped on ahead for a few minutes, looking at the huge trees and path ahead of me, before I started to run out of energy. I hopped to the side of the path and sat there, not very happy about how things were going. I was considering cursing at Mew to bide the time when I heard something coming down the path. I looked, and it turned out to be a human. Not just any human, but Professor Elm from New Bark Town. At that moment, he noticed me sitting there staring at him with my big shiny Natu eyes.

"Oh, a baby Natu! Hey there, little guy," he said, walking over to me.

"Gag me," I muttered, although he only heard "Natu." He picked me up, and I stared unblinking into his eyes.

"You must be hungry. Where are your parents, little guy?" he asked, in that cutesy voice grownups use when they talk to babies. Knowing he couldn't understand me, I decided to have a bit of fun.

"I devoured their souls. You're next," I said, although I used a sad tone of voice. He frowned.

"Aww, are you all alone? Poor little thing. I'll take care of you, little Natu," he said, oblivious to the meaning of what I had said. I did the closest thing you could do to grinning with a beak.

"Alright! I'd like a double burger with fries and a shake, please," I said, barely able to contain my laughter. If he had been able to understand me, his reaction would definitely have been different. He kept walking, holding me in his arms. I didn't complain, as it was much better than sitting alone in the forest. After a few minutes, he arrived in New Bark Town. I looked around. I had never been there before, and I took the opportunity to enjoy the fresh scenery. It wasn't that different from Cherrygrove, aside from the lack of a certain disabled children's center and the inclusion of a Pokémon Lab, which I found myself being carried into. Inside, it was a big sterile metal building. I hadn't expected anything else, really. Professor Elm set me down on a table and left me there.

"You will not abandon Lord Cthulhu the Destroyer of Worlds!" I tried to yell after him, although it sounded more like a squawk. He came back a minute later with a pink-and-yellow berry in hand.

"Here, I got you a Qualot Berry. Natu tend to love these," he said, slicing the berry open with a knife. He took the seeds out and offered me one. I hesitated, then took it out of his hand in my beak. It tasted a bit tangy and sweet, but it was good, and I looked up.

"That wasn't half bad. More please!" I chirped. And I got my wish, as I was fed all the seeds in the berry. I started to feel sleepy after that, and as I sat there, half asleep, Professor Elm took a Pokéball out of his pocket, tapped it against my head, and I was pulled inside. Being in the Pokéball was weird. I could see out of it, but I couldn't feel anything. I quickly fell asleep, since there was nothing better to do and I was a tired little birdy.

In the next week, I was brought out of the Pokéball both to be fed, and to practice learning the three attacks I knew: Peck (easy), Leer (got it down in one try), and strangely, Confusion, which I had been sure Natu couldn't learn. It took a whole week to get it working, but…

"Alright, Natu, use Confusion on Murkrow again," Professor Elm said. I was training my Confusion on a Murkrow, who sat there looking bored and told me how much my attack would hurt if she wasn't a Dark type.

"Ooh, that one would have been halfway decent," she said, flapping her wings twice to signal Professor Elm that it had worked. He patted my head and smiled.

"You're doing really well with your attacks, Natu, and Murkrow, your defenses are phenomenal for your level. Listen up, you two. Tomorrow, I'm giving out starter Pokémon to trainers, but I don't have enough Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita for the trainers I'm expecting. Would you two like to be given to new trainers so you can get out of the lab and see the world?" Professor Elm said, smiling at both of us. "A trainer gave me a baby Riolu to be a starter, but I need at least two more. Can you nod if you'll go through with it?" Murkrow and I glanced at each other.

"Well, I want to get out of this dumb lab, I've been here for my whole life," Murkrow chirped, nodding.

"I guess I'll join your cause, puny human. But don't think it's because I like you, it's because I wanted it," I said with a nod, earning laughter from Murkrow.

"Man, Natu, you're funny! It's so hilarious how you abuse the fact that he can't understand us," she said, laughing.

"Hey, I have a name. I'm Kenny," I said, hopping over to Murkrow and poking her with a claw.

"Don't poke me, Kenny. Alright, but isn't that a human name? My name is Willow, and it sounds really different from your name," she said, tilting her head in the way only a confused bird can do.

"It is a human name. Did you hear about several disabled kids being murdered in Cherrygrove about a week ago?" I asked.

"Hmm. Yeah, I think I might have heard about that, but how is this relevant?" Willow asked. She tilted her head to the other side.

"I'm the mute boy. I came back as a Pokémon because of a slightly obnoxious floating pink cat," I chirped. Willow jumped with a caw, flapping her wings once.

"What?! Really? You're a human? How do I know you aren't lying?" she asked, hopping around me in a circle and inspecting me. "You look just like a normal Natu…"

"Well, I can read, I can write, and I'm speaking with perfect grammar even though I'm only a week old. Can you explain that any other way?" I said. The Murkrow thought for a minute.

"No, I can't really think of another reason," she finally admitted. "Alright, so you're a dead human kid who's a Natu now. Did you choose to be a Natu?" Willow watched me, waiting for my answer.

"Well, I asked Mew if I could be a Psychic-type, and I ended up as a chubby green bird. It could have been worse… Staryu is a Psychic-type too," I said with a bird-shrug. Willow snickered. Professor Elm took out the red-and-white Pokéballs that usually held Willow and me, and returned us to our round prisons.

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Oh joy. First Kenny is a Natu, which is the smallest height out of all Pokémon. 8 inch tall bird-ball. Then, he's picked up by Professor Elm, who he teases by saying things that are completely off-the-wall comments. And NOW he's going to be given away to a random kid. At least he has a friend in the form of Willow…


	3. First Piece: Friends

Yay! My first two reviews… and one is even srgeman!

ChocolateLover: I was aware that Staryu itself is not part psychic type, thanks. But since its evolution is, I figured it might as well be. And yes… actually, it was Lucas and Carter who yelled "HE KILLED KENNY!" And seconds after Kenny slipped into unconsciousness, Milly screamed at the unconscious murderer "YOU BASTARD!" HAHAHA.

srgeman: This guy's logic is HE HAS NONE LOL.

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In the morning, Professor Elm didn't let me out of my Pokéball. Instead, he placed six Pokéballs on a table, each labeled. I saw Willow and a Cyndaquil next to me, and a Riolu, Chikorita, and Totodile occupying the other spots. He also had a basket full of other Pokéballs containing Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil by the dozen. And then it happened.

Suddenly, trainers, and lots of them, flooded the lab. Riolu was taken first, then Chikorita and Totodile couldn't be replaced fast enough, the Cyndaquil were vanishing. Within the space of three hours, there were only three Pokémon left. Willow, a Cyndaquil, and I remained. We had seen all sorts of beginning trainers come by, and all of them ignored Willow and me. After a few minutes of no more newbie trainers entering, Professor Elm collapsed into a chair with a sigh.

"I guess that's all of them," he said. Just then, the door opened again and he jumped up.

"Hi, um, we came for our first Pokémon…" a familiar voice said. I recognized the sound at once.

"Milly!" I cried. Willow watched as Milly, and two familiar boys walked over.

"That's your friend?" Willow asked. We could talk to each other while in the Pokéballs.

"Yeah, and those boys… Oh Mew, that's Lucas and Carter! They're still connected, too… All three of my friends showed up here! This is awesome," I chirped, bouncing in my Pokéball.

"Oh, hello there," Professor Elm said to Milly and the twins. "Are all three of you in need of Pokémon? You're in luck, there are three left." He led them to the stand where the three remaining Pokéballs sat. I looked up, wondering which Pokémon Milly would take. Her hand hovered over Willow's Pokéball for a moment, then she picked up my Pokéball.

"Natu is pretty cool. Can I let him out and see if I like him first?" she asked. Professor Elm nodded, and she released me. I hopped over to her and gave a happy chirp, looking up at her. I then pretended to have been hit by her crutches and rolled over on my head. She laughed. "Alright, he's awesome! He'll be my Pokémon, and that last move made me think of my friend… I'll call him Kenny."

"Alright, and there are two left for you boys. Which one of you wants the Murkrow and who will take the Cyndaquil?" Professor Elm asked, bringing the Pokéballs over to them. It figures… everybody wants to help poor disabled kids because they feel so sorry for them.

"It doesn't matter who takes which, we're basically one person and we could just take one," the twins said together. Lucas took Willow's Pokéball in his hand, and the twins inspected the Murkrow.

"No, no, there are two of you, so go ahead and take the Cyndaquil too," Professor Elm said. He pressed the Cyndaquil's Pokéball into Carter's hand.

"Thank you!" the twins chirped.

"The Murkrow will be named Willow…" Lucas started. "And the Cyndaquil will be Angie!" Carter finished, both boys grinning. Professor Elm looked slightly creeped out. Creepy twins tend to do that to people. Milly flipped a crutch over in her arm and used it to scoop me up and put me on her head. The twins and Milly thanked Professor Elm, got Pokédexes and a few spare Pokéballs from him, and walked out. Once we were outside, the twins let their Pokémon out. Willow sat on Lucas's shoulder, since Lucas was beside Milly.

"Hey, Kenny. I'm glad that my nickname turned out to be my real name," she chirped. The Cyndaquil looked up at us.

"Um, hello," the fire hedgehog said in a feminine voice. Obviously a girl. "I'm, uh, apparently Angie now. You two seem to know each other already, and I thought I should introduce myself. You two… Willow and Kenny, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Kenny and this is Willow. It's nice to meet you. Hey, watch this," I said with a bird-smile. "Milly! You're covered in pasta!"

"Huh? What are you trying to tell me, Kenny?" she asked, looking up at me. Angie and Willow laughed.

"I love this. Nobody can understand us, and I fully intend to abuse this," I said. Milly patted my head.

"You're funny," Angie said with a shy smile.

"Yeah, he is, isn't he?" Willow cawed. "That's what I told him after he teased Professor Elm." Willow hopped down to talk to Angie, and I shifted my focus to the humans speaking.

"I can't believe it. They caught us trying to sneak out of the center, and they just went all 'good luck with that' and ignored us. Do they care about ANYTHING?" Milly said, sounding upset.

"They aren't concerned about individual children, that's for sure," the twins chimed as one. Milly sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. It's better without having to deal with that," she said. They were walking back toward Cherrygrove, since they had to pass through there to get to the rest of Johto. As they walked, Milly tripped over a short ledge and fell on the ground. I tumbled off of her head and landed just in front of a patch of tall grass.

"Oww!" she yelped. One of her crutches had fallen in the tall grass.

"Milly!" the twins said. They were at her side in a few seconds. She sat up. "Are you okay?"

"Oh… I'll be fine, but where's my other crutch? I can't get around without it…" She looked around. Willow and Angie ran over to me.

"Hey, Kenny, you okay?" Willow asked. I nodded.

"Milly's crutch fell in the grass. I'm going to get it," I said and hopped into the grass. Willow followed me. It was just inside the grass, and I grabbed it in my beak and tried to drag the heavy piece of metal back. Willow grabbed part of it and helped me drag it over to Milly, who smiled when she saw it.

"Thanks, Kenny!" she said. She was back on her feet a second later, and we were off again. I stayed on the ground with Willow and Angie this time. They were talking about girl stuff, so I kinda stayed at the edge of the group. We made it to Cherrygrove as it was starting to get late, and I was feeling sleepy. I hopped in front of Milly.

"Hm? Kenny, do you want to go in your Pokéball?" I nodded, and within two minutes I was asleep in my Pokéball.

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Well, I hope this is coming along nicely. Here, Milly and the twins meet up with Kenny and Willow, and they get a new friend.

Just so you know, Kenny has an Impish nature, Willow has a Hardy nature, and Angie is Timid-nature.


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